A 5-axis CNC quote checklist is the RFQ packet that lets a shop choose 3+2 versus simultaneous paths without guessing. Minimum files: STEP (or IGES / X_T) plus a PDF with revision, ASME Y14.5 datums, and ISO 2768-m on general sizes. Add material and temper, quantity breaks, finish (Ra 3.2, Type II anodize if used), inspection method, and an Incoterms 2020 term. Mark whether rotary axes may stay locked during the cut. You are done when a Dongguan programmer can name the setup count and the mill mode from the packet alone. Missing any of those items produces a padded 5-axis number or a round of questions, not a faster quote.
US and EU buyers lose a week when the first email is a STEP with no PDF, or a PDF with no revision, and a line that says “5-axis, please quote.” The shop cannot see datums, cosmetic faces, or whether you meant indexed holes.
Use this checklist once per RFQ. Then send it through contact YXT CNC or 5-axis CNC machining services. Do not send a second mystery revision in a later chat thread.
Key takeaways
- STEP plus PDF at the same revision is the start of a 5-axis quote, not a nice extra.
- Name 3+2 versus simultaneous. “5-axis” alone is not a process spec.
- Datums, material temper, finish, quantity, and inspection change the number more than a pretty render.
- Incoterms 2020 belongs on the RFQ. It is not the mill mode.
- If the shop has to ask three questions, the checklist failed before CAM started.
Why a 5-axis CNC quote checklist saves a revision loop
A 5-axis CNC quote checklist exists because 5-axis quotes have more hidden branches than a 3-axis plate. The shop must pick workholding, a pose list, optional live tilt, tool stickout, and a CMM frame. Each blank field becomes a conservative assumption.
Conservative assumptions look like simultaneous paths on every wall, CMM on every size, and a quantity of one with no repeat. You then argue about price instead of the missing note.
If you already use custom CNC machining services for mixed mill-turn work, reuse the same packet discipline. 5-axis only adds the motion note.
The packet is also how you lock setup count. A complete zip lets the estimator write “one fixture, six indexed poses, L/D ≤ 3 on the 10 mm well mill.” An incomplete zip gets “5-axis, CMM, qty 1.” Those are not the same quote. Your checklist is the difference.
Files and formats the shop can actually program
Programmers need a solid model and a 2D authority document. Preferred 3D: STEP or STP. IGES or X_T is acceptable. STL is for looking, not for CAM. Preferred 2D: PDF with a title block, revision, tolerances, threads, and finish. DWG can ride along. A screenshot is not a drawing.
| RFQ field | Complete packet | Incomplete packet | Best for | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D | STEP at the PDF revision | STL, screenshot, or mixed revisions | Toolpaths and collision | Two STEPs named “final” and “final2” |
| 2D | PDF with datums and notes | Email dimensions only | Inspection and finish | Model and PDF disagree on a hole |
| Motion | 3+2 default, simultaneous faces tagged | “Full 5-axis” | Correct CAM hours | Shop interpolates walls you could index |
| Material | 6061-T6, 304, POM, etc. | “Aluminum” | Feeds, tools, lead time | Temper missing on 7075 |
| Qty / ship | Breaks + Incoterms 2020 | “A few” and no term | Fixture vs 5-axis call | DDP sticker shock after the mill quote |
| Access | Pose list + stickout or L/D target | No mention of pockets or tilts | Setup count and tool choice | Long tools priced as if they were short |
Bottom line: if the table’s “incomplete” column matches your email, do not expect a stable 5-axis number.
YXT’s 5-axis CNC machining services page lists STEP, STP, IGES, X_T, and PDF as the working set. Match that list.
Name files with part number and revision: CTRL-BOX-160_A.step and CTRL-BOX-160_A.pdf. A zip called new.zip is how mixed revisions enter CAM. One part, one revision, one zip.
If you have a second body (lid, gasket plate, turned insert), do not dump it in the same STEP without a note. Either a second zip or a clearly named second pair of files. 5-axis quotes go wrong when the programmer CAM’s a lid boss as if it were a wall on the box. The checklist is per part. Assembly STEP files are for fit context. They are not the mill file unless you say “machine as assembled,” which most boxes should not.
Datums, tolerances, and finish callouts
ASME Y14.5 (2018) datums tell the shop which faces share one setup. That is the 5-axis justification. Without them, a programmer may 3-axis the part or 5-axis everything. Neither guess is what you wanted.
Put general sizes on ISO 2768-1 (1989) medium unless a fit needs a number. Tight true position on connector holes is normal. Tight numbers on every chamfer are not.
Finish is a quote line. As-machined Ra 3.2 is one process. Type II anodize with masked threads is another. If the color or class is missing, the shop either omits finish or pads it. Name cosmetic faces. A 5-axis blend on a hidden wall is wasted motion.
If you anodize, say whether thickness is allowed on sealing faces and connector holes. Type II often 5-25 µm, still the usual 2026 drawing callout. Mask notes change hole size before the mill, not after the tank. Finish does not pick 3+2 versus simultaneous. Datums and access do.
Put a stickout or fillet note next to deep pockets: “board well 38 mm, design fillet R5, finishing mill ≥ 10 mm, target L/D ≤ 3 after index.” That sentence is part of the quote checklist. Without it, the estimator assumes a 6 mm mill at 6×D and pads cycle time.
If you do not know L/D, still give depth and the smallest internal radius. The shop can convert that to a cutter. Depth without a radius is how 4 mm mills appear on 40 mm wells. Radius without depth is how they guess a shallow pocket. Both numbers belong on the PDF even when the STEP already contains them, because the estimator reads notes faster than they measure a model on the first pass.
Procedure: run the 5-axis CNC quote checklist before you send
Work the list in order. Each step has a done check.
- Collect the authority files: STEP and PDF with the same revision in the filename and title block. You are done when a folder contains one 3D and one 2D, not four “finals.”
- Fill the header block: material and temper, quantity now, likely repeat, and target ship window. You are done when “aluminum, some pieces, ASAP” is gone.
- Write mill mode: “3+2 indexed unless tagged,” and tag any surface that needs simultaneous tilt. You are done when “5-axis” is no longer the only process word.
- Mark the datum frame and the inspection method (CMM on the frame, calipers on ISO 2768-m). You are done when “inspect all” has a method next to each critical feature.
- Call finish, masking, and any outside process (anodize, plate, heat treat). You are done when threads and sealing faces have a mask or a “coat OK” note.
- Add logistics: Incoterms 2020 term (EXW, FOB, DDP, or other), destination, and packing for precision faces. You are done when freight is not an afterthought in week three.
- Attach access data: a pose list (or highlighted angled faces), expected setup count (one fixture vs extra vises), and stickout or L/D targets on deep features. You are done when a programmer can count poses without opening a chat.
- Export one zip named with part number and revision. Send it once. You are done when the shop can quote without asking which file is current.
The usual failure is step 3 skipped and step 1 duplicated. Two STEPs and no motion note create both a delay and a high number.
Incoterms 2020 is the ICC rule set for who pays freight and where risk passes. Put the term in step 6 even if the mill quote is EXW factory. A later DDP request is a new quote, not a small add.
Step 7 is what makes this a 5-axis checklist instead of a generic file dump. Pose, setup, and stickout are the three numbers that separate a 3+2 housing from a simultaneous guess.
Worked RFQ zip: controller box, revision B
Use this as a copy-paste cover sheet inside the zip.
Files: CTRL-BOX-160_B.step, CTRL-BOX-160_B.pdf (revision B in the title block).
Material / qty: 6061-T6, 12 pcs now, forecast 80 at the same revision if the USB face survives.
Motion: 3+2 indexed. Rotary locked during cut. No simultaneous faces on this revision.
Datums: A mounting floor, B long wall, C short wall. Lid pattern TP Ø0.20 mm to A-B-C. USB holes on 18° face TP Ø0.25 mm to A-B-C.
Pose list (feature intent, shop maps B/C):
| Pose | Face / feature | Tool idea | Stickout target | Must stay in same fixture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | A outside, then well floor presented | 10 mm EM | Well L/D ≤ 3 | Yes |
| Q2 | Wall B, gland | 8 mm EM, drill | L/D ≤ 4 | Yes |
| Q3 | Wall C | 8 mm EM | L/D ≤ 4 | Yes |
| Q4 | 18° USB face, 4× Ø3.2 | Drill / spot | Just past breakout | Yes |
| Q5 | Opposite wall, M4 | Drill / tap | Standard tap | Yes |
Setup count intent: 1 fixture. If jaws hide a face, shop may add one op and must say so on the quote.
Finish: Type II black, mask M4 and well floor. Ra 3.2 before coat.
Inspection: CMM on A-B-C, lid, USB. Calipers on ISO 2768-m.
Ship: Incoterms 2020 EXW Dongguan for this quote. Pack sealing faces so they do not rattle.
Ask the shop to return: pose count they will program, setup count, whether any face needs live tilt, finishing cutter in the well, and inspection as a line item.
That cover sheet is the 5-axis CNC quote checklist applied to one part. If Q4 is missing, the USB true position will be guessed. If stickout is missing, the well will be priced as a long 6 mm mill. If Incoterm is missing, freight shows up after you approved the mill number.
Copy the pose table onto the PDF, not only the email. Emails get stripped. The PDF is the authority that survives a forwarded RFQ. If the shop’s CAM seat never sees your cover sheet, they will still see Q1–Q5 in the title block notes. Setup count intent belongs there too: “one fixture unless jaws hide a face; then say so.” That sentence stops a silent second op from landing on the invoice as “5-axis handling.”
Quantity, inspection, and shipping notes
Quantity picks fixture versus 5-axis flexibility. One to twenty pieces: do not assume a production tombstone. A stated 200-piece follow-on: the shop may offer a 3-axis fixture alternative. If you hide the follow-on, you only get the prototype rate structure.
Inspection must match the drawing, not the machine name. 5-axis does not auto-include a full CMM report. Ask for first-article on the datum frame if that is what you will audit. Leave caliper features as caliper features.
Packing matters on machined sealing faces. Say if you need individual bags or tray nests. A cosmetic cover that rattles in bulk fill is a quality failure after a good mill.
If you want company context with the packet, the About YXT CNC page is the Dongguan factory background. The quote still lives or dies on the files in the zip. A complete packet lets the shop return setup count, whether 3+2 is enough, which faces need live tilt, and inspection as a line item. You are not writing their CAM. You are removing the guesses that inflate it. One part, one revision, one zip.
When quantity later jumps, send a new zip even if the STEP is unchanged. Add the break and ask whether the pose list should stay on 5-axis or move to a fixture. Do not bury that question in a chat on the old quote. The mill mode can change when setup count is amortized. The checklist still owns the files.
If the part is a mix of mill and turn, keep this 5-axis packet for the milled body and send the shaft as its own drawing. Mixing a Swiss or turned blank into a 5-axis zip without a process note produces another guess. The CNC turning route is a different quote line.
Packing notes should name the faces that cannot ding. “Tray nest, sealing face up, no bulk fill on USB wall” is a quote line on cosmetic 5-axis parts. It is not mill mode. Put it next to Incoterms so the estimator does not treat it as a surprise after FAI. If you skip packing, a good 3+2 box can still fail incoming inspection for handling, and you will blame the mill mode. The checklist exists to keep those lines separate.
FAQ
What is the minimum 5-axis CNC quote checklist?
STEP plus PDF at one revision, material temper, quantity, mill-mode note (3+2 versus simultaneous), datums, finish, inspection method, and an Incoterm. Add a pose list and stickout targets when pockets or compound faces exist. Less than that is a question list. The shop can still guess. You will not like the guess. The minimum is what lets them name setup count without emailing you.
Can I quote 5-axis from a STEP only?
You can ask. You should not expect a firm number. Threads, finish, and datums live on the PDF. The shop will assume extras: simultaneous paths, CMM on all faces, and a quantity of one. A STEP-only RFQ is how 3+2 housings get priced as live 5-axis. Attach the PDF even if it is incomplete, then mark what is still TBD. Incomplete-and-labeled beats missing.
Should I say 3+2 on the checklist if I am not sure?
Yes. Default to 3+2 and tag only the faces that look sculpted or undercut. The shop can upgrade a face. Starting at simultaneous is how hours appear. Put “shop to confirm if any tagged face can stay indexed” if you are unsure. That is still a mode note. “5-axis please” is not. Pose highlights on the PDF are the practical way to show what you think needs a tilt.
Do I need to specify ±0.005 mm to get a serious 5-axis quote?
No. Put the tolerance the function needs. Selected features can be planned that tight when geometry allows. A blanket ±0.005 mm on a housing will stall the quote or inflate inspection. ISO 2768-m on general sizes plus true position on the connector pattern is the usual serious packet. Tightness does not prove you needed 5-axis. Access and datums do.
Which Incoterm should I put on a China 5-axis RFQ?
Put the term you will buy, using Incoterms 2020. EXW and FOB are common factory terms. DDP includes more downstream cost. Do not leave the cell blank. Changing EXW to DDP after the mill quote is a new commercial offer. Keep mill mode and Incoterm on separate lines so a freight change does not look like a 5-axis premium. Name the destination country even on EXW so packing and docs match what you will actually collect.
How do I handle drawing revisions after the first quote?
Send a new zip with a new revision in every filename. Say what changed: pose Q4 angle, well depth, mask notes. Do not overwrite files in an old email thread and assume CAM will notice. Ask the shop to confirm whether setup count and mill mode still hold. A 2° port change can keep 3+2. A new undercut can add simultaneous time. The checklist runs again on every revision.
What should the shop return so I know the checklist worked?
Setup count, pose count, mill mode per face group, finishing tool and stickout on the deepest pocket, and inspection as a line item. If those five come back without extra questions, the 5-axis CNC quote checklist did its job. If the reply is only a price and “5-axis,” the packet was still too thin or the shop did not read it. Ask for the five items before you approve.
Run the 5-axis CNC quote checklist until STEP, PDF, datums, mill mode, pose list, stickout, inspection, and Incoterms 2020 sit in one zip. Send that packet through 5-axis CNC machining services or contact YXT CNC so the Dongguan team can quote the mode you actually need.
